


Five Times Poe Dameron Lost His Jacket & One Time He Gave It Away

by Magnetism_bind



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: 5 Times, 5+1 Things, Childhood, Childhood Dreams, Dreams, Friendship, Gambling, Growing Up, M/M, Mother-Son Relationship, Nostalgia, relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-23
Updated: 2015-12-23
Packaged: 2018-05-08 15:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5502938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magnetism_bind/pseuds/Magnetism_bind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He never intends to lose it, but Poe Dameron has a way of letting his jacket get away from him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Times Poe Dameron Lost His Jacket & One Time He Gave It Away

1

_Yavin 4_

He’s four years old, playing in the sun outside his family’s apartment block. Bareheaded, barefoot, but happy, with his mother’s jacket around him. It covers his small shoulders, hanging low all the way down his back, but Poe wears it effortlessly as he maneuvers his toy ships through the bright sky.

His grandmother’s scolding his mother for letting the child play with her jacket. Poe ignores this. His mother can do no wrong in his young opinion.

“It looks good on him.”  Shara ruffles his hair and Poe smiles up at her. He wants to be a starfighter pilot, just like his mother. He hugs the jacket closer and makes flying noises with his tongue.

* * *

Later they send him out to play so his mother and grandmother can talk. Poe goes down to play by the edge of the boundaries at the edge of the jungle. He swings on a low vine, hanging from his knees. He looks at all the world he knows upside down and pretends he’s in space, just flying, endless, as far as he can go.

He closes his eyes.

“Poe! Come and get your dinner! Poe!”

His grandmother will not stop calling, so he drops to the ground and runs back up the path through the village.

His mother’s at the door, watching for him, arms folded across her chest. Poe stops, knowing that she’s decided something. In the afternoon light her face looks grave, and he’s suddenly afraid what is to come.

“Poe,” his mother says. “Where’s the jacket?”

Poe hangs his head.

Shara sighs. “Come on, let’s go find it.” She holds out her hand and he slips his into hers.

* * *

The jacket is still where he left it on the ground. Poe grabs it, hugging it for a moment before looking up at his mother. He knows it’s his fault it was almost lost for good. It belongs to his mother. She’ll take it back and keep it safe, while she flies on her missions. He’s pictured it so often he sees it in his dreams and waking hours. 

Shara crouches down, placing a hand on his shoulders. “You keep it, buddy.” Her smile is wide, and warm as the sun. “Someday you’ll need it.”

Poe wears the jacket home and that night sleeps with it rolled up under his pillow.

In the morning his grandmother tells him that his mother has gone again. The visits are never long enough. But he knows she has important work to do. Poe clutches the jacket and knows one day he’ll fly out amongst the stars, just like his mother.

 

 

2

He’s sixteen and running for his life, because if he gets caught nobody will believe he just wanted to borrow the speeder to try it out. Thieving is thieving, and if he’s caught, it's over.

Poe darts around a corner and there’s a fence blocking his escape. He jags his way through it, but his jacket catches hard on the wire. Poe slips out of the sleeves and runs faster because hell, he can always get another jacket, but his skin’s the only one he has and while his grandmother might box his ears for losing the jacket, but she’ll be sadder if he winds up dead. At least he likes to think so. He's all he she has left these days.

He gets home, and manages to slip in the door without her noticing anything's amiss.

“Go wash your hands.” His grandmother says without looking at him. “You’re late for dinner.”

* * *

It’s later that evening that Hunsoo, the trader, shows up at their home, Poe’s jacket balled up under his grimy sleeve.

He bangs on their door and when Poe’s grandmother opens it, barks, “Your boy was running around my scrap yard, looking to thieve.”

Poe’s grandmother remains unruffled in the face of intimidation. “My boy wouldn’t do such a thing.”

Hunsoo holds up the jacket. It’s all the proof that’s needed. Poe’s face is warm with shame as his grandmother looks at him long and hard.

“I apologize for my grandson’s actions.” She says formally. “What was taken?”

“Now that’s the curious thing,” Hunsoo scratches his grizzled chin. “Nothing.” He fixes his eyes on Poe. “What were you looking for, boy, eh? What were you hoping to steal?”

Poe remains silent.

“Answer him.” His grandmother raps out the words.

“I wasn’t… I wanted to try the speeder out. That’s all. Honest.”

Hunsoo looks at him for a moment. Poe keeps his gaze. His father told him once to always keep your eyes level with someone looking at you. That way they knew you were speaking the truth.

"It's broken." Hunsoo says finally."

"Yeah, well." Poe shifts slightly. _'That wouldn't have been a problem'_ is a comment he keeps to himself.

“You’re interested in learning how to work on ships?” Hunsoo demands. “Any good with your hands?”

Poe nods.

“Well then.” Hunsoo nods, mostly to himself. “I’ve been looking for a mech assistant. But it has to be someone actually willing to work.” His expression says it all; he doubts Poe is up to the challenge.

“He’s got his head in the clouds, but he’s a smart boy.” His grandmother says abruptly. “You hire him, he’ll work hard.”

Poe stares at her, but wisely says nothing. His ears are warm from the unexpected compliment.

“You want a job, be at my yard tomorrow morning, bright and early.” Hunsoo tosses the jacket at Poe. “Here. And next time, don’t get caught.”

They watch him go and Poe’s grandmother closes the door, hard, rattling the thin windowpanes. “Next time, you better not be trespassing to begin with.”

“But I got a job.” Poe points out. Surely that's worth something.

His grandmother just shakes her head. Not, apparently, in her mind.

Poe hangs up his jacket and climbs up the ladder to his loft bed where he stretches out with a sigh. Tomorrow, maybe after work, he’ll get to fly the speeder. Tomorrow…maybe…his eyes close.

 

 

3

He slips from the warm bed of the young man still sleeping soundly and goes outside up to the roof. It’s the first night of the star fall. It’s been seven years since the last one and Poe’s not going to miss it this time, no matter how tired he is from the evening’s pleasant activities.

He settles on the roof to watch. Above him the whole night sky is alive with falling stars. Poe sighs with happiness. He’s only been in flight training for a few months, but he was born to fly and now everybody knows it too. He's not alone anymore.

His com beeps.

“Dameron.” Poe answers, eyes still on the stars.

“We need you back at base camp to go over the training maneuvers for today.” His team leader is brusque as always.

“Right now?” Poe gives the sky another look. But he goes, cause he’s a pilot first and a lover second. There’s no time to leave a note for the sleeping Jensen. Besides, what would he say? _It was fun? Hope I see you again sometime?_ People tend to want more than that, and while Poe fully believes that someday, somewhere, somehow, he’ll fall in love for good, he knows it’s not tonight.

 * * *

Jensen shows up at the base the next morning to return his jacket and all Poe can offer in return is an apologetic smile and an ‘I owe you.’

His jacket still smells like bar smoke and wine, but Poe slips it back on like nothing will ever change.

 

 

4

The first punch catches him off guard. Poe stumbles backward, wiping the blood trickling down his chin. The Trandoshan trader is stronger than he’d hoped. _Damnit._ Poe shakes his head, trying to remember the alien’s name. _Freemin, yeah._

“You’re a cheat.” Freemin hisses at him.

“It’s not my fault if Lady Luck is against you.” Poe spreads his hands, seeking to appease the angry alien. He came out to have a little fun, and what happens? This. It’s always this. He really shouldn’t be so lucky at cards. Other players never take it well.

His jacket’s lying on the table cause Freemin had made a grab for him and Poe’s nothing if not slippery. He wants it back though. It’s been years since his mother’s death and it’s still the only thing he has left other than his memories. The jacket's still the thing that helps him sleep best at night.

“You’re a liar and a cheat.” The Trandoshan moves in again and Poe backs up, only to run right into the trader’s partner. This one’s even bigger than Freemin.

“Sorry, didn’t catch your name,” Poe starts.

The big alien just grabs his right arm, pulling it up tight behind his back. It hurts and Poe lets it show, hoping it’ll make them relent.

It doesn’t.

So Poe gives Freemin his most charming smile. “I’ll play you for it, double or nothing.”

Freemin spits. “Why shouldn’t I just have Aruth pummel to dust instead?”

Aruth obviously likes that idea because he pulls on Poe’s arm.

Poe winces. “Because if I lose, you can have my ship.”

Freemin considers.

Poe’s grin is crooked. “Just one condition.”

“What’s that?” The trader sneers.

“Gimme back my jacket.”

 

 

5.

_Jakku_

Poe wakes, shivering, his mouth full of sand. He rolls over and spits, wiping his mouth with his hand. It’s dark overhead, a scattered star or two, the only light keeping the desert from being a pitch black wasteland.

He rubs at his shoulders, wishing he weren’t so cold. There’s no sign of the ship or Finn. Or his jacket for that matter. This time he’s on his own.

Alright, well, he’s survived before. He’ll do it again. Poe hopes Finn made it, wherever he is now. BB-8 is out there too somewhere.

Poe gets up, brushes the sand off his pants and starts walking through the dark.

 

 

1

“Keep it. It suits you.”

Poe doesn’t expect to say it. He’s half reaching for the jacket when he decides _what the hell_. It looks good on the kid, and the way Finn is looking back at him with his heart and eyes full of hope…

Poe smiles back and simply gives him his jacket.

As he watches Finn straighten the collar, Poe can’t help thinking that his mother would have approved.


End file.
